Enveloped in Scorching Flames
by Final Hikari
Summary: There were many casualties during the One Year War that raged across the continent; the small village of Rand was just one of the many tragedies. Only one young boy survived, though it was only a prelude to the fate preordained for him by the gods.


"_When serving in the military, the woman who would go on to be known as Queen Phyress of the Principality of Paltierre, saved Rand's only survivor, unaware of the fate that awaited him."_

Enveloped in Scorching Flames

The heat of the scorching flame that slowly ate away at the barn was becoming unbearable to the handful of people hiding inside. All the animals had been evacuated to make room for them, but the hay was still present and working as kindling. The fire that engulfed the walls was beginning to lick at the ceiling and rafters that kept it in place. The main doors were locked, leaving the only ventilation for the smoke a few small windows in the stalls. It wasn't nearly enough to provide fresh air for the occupants.

The town was right beside the Artolia Pass, where armies progressing north would use to continue their journey. Rand was doomed to being destroyed by Rosetta's army as soon as word of the war spread. Rosetta was in the south and fighting the countries in the north over land, leaving a path of destruction wherever they tread.

The village they called home was fated to be a causality of war.

They northern countries, Dipan, Paltierre, and Arkdain were forced to retaliate against Rosetta's attacks on their cities. Paltierre was on the northeast and allied with Dipan through marriage. Dipan was an isolated island north of the main continent. Arkdain was both Paltierre and Dipan's enemy.

Paltierre had warned them that there was to be a battle in Artolia Pass and that it could be a turning point for the war. The village had prepared the best they could, a few families fleeing to the north for protection, but most stayed. They didn't have anywhere to go; it was a poor town without any noteworthy exports. He clearly remembered many of his friends and their families leaving the town to try and live in the cities at the start of the war.

The armies had spanned out further than planned and Rand had been converted into a battlefield in hours. In addition to himself, three teenagers and half a dozen children had been told to stay in a barn not far from the town until give the signal for safe evacuation. The messengers had been taken out before the alarm initiated.

They had all tired to save the children, but three and the teenager protecting them were killed before reaching the hideout. Despite their attempts to save the survivors, two of the youngest had already perished from asphyxiation.

The young boy who was accompanied by the teenagers slumped against the wall at the back of the barn. He'd been trying to hold his breath, but when the burning need for air was too strong he accidentally took too deep a breath of air. The searing smoke filled his mouth and lungs, leaving him coughing violently.

_I'm going to be the last one… _he thought fleetingly as his vision began to blur. He could still hear the screams of one of the girls though the piercing sound was becoming distant. Dark patches began clouded his vision and made the fire creeping over the rafters high above nearly indiscernible.

He felt his head lolling backward as the screams of his companion degraded into a groan before silencing. The moments it took for the crackling fire to be all he heard before that too began to fade were interminable. His hands were badly burned from trying to escape out mere minutes prior and the burning of his lungs also seemed to be dulling.

_I'm…going to die. Not that it…matters. This life has no worth…_

His eyes drifted open slightly as a deafening crash filled the barn. It was loud enough to reach his nearly unresponsive ears. Evidently, one of the main supports that ran from the sides of the building had fallen, creating a secondary barricade from the exit. The wood, lit completely aflame, left a wall of fire as the last thing visible to him.

Rosetta's army wasn't known for burning their enemies' towns; it was a dishonorable tactic but an effective one. When the fire started, the older couple hadn't been able to move fast enough and had been crushed by a falling beam, the keys they possessed rendered unreachable.

The fire crackled and formed a wall of heat over the huge piece of wood. The entire building creaked, slabs of burning wood from the roof raining downward. He watched blankly, no thoughts crossing his mind as he let the pain overcome his consciousness completely. He heard the muffled sobs of the only other survivor begin to fade, then disappear.

_So they really are all gone…_

His eyes dropped close as a second hellacious crack filled the barn with sound. This one was accompanied by a massive blast of fresh, cold air. The heat was gone and he began to cough, only getting wracked by more pain. He blinked dizzily to see two large, crystalline blue walls stretching from the entrance to the back of the barn. They were at least a foot thick, but enough to completely douse the flames; they were still visible beyond the translucent walls.

They negated the heat of the flame and replaced it with a slight chill. The flaming fallen support that had barred the road had also been extinguished. His vision was slow to come back and he remained immobilized for several moments before raising his head and looking up to see what had happened.

The icy walls were ethereal; the first coherent thought that passed through his mind was a question. _Am I…dead?_ He wondered, but quickly disproved the thought when overtaken by another spasm of coughing. When it passed he looked up blearily to see two young women standing at the entrance of the barn.

They wore the colors of Paltierre, their uniforms consisting of shades of blue and brown. One wore a noticeably more high quality one and she held a bow in her hand. The other woman who had dropped to one knee held a sword in her hand and carried a shield bearing the country's emblem.

Her blade emitted the same blue glow as the icy walls that stretched throughout the barn. Her expression was tense as she addressed her companion. "Lady Phyress, be careful!" she called as the archer who hurried down the icy passage.

"Those locals were right, I knew there was somebody in here!" she knelt down beside him, expression concerned. "Are you alright?"

"I-I'm still alive," he stammered in response, struggling to focus on her face.

"Were there others with you?" she asked quickly.

"They're dead."

She nodded gravely. "Can you walk?"

"I think so," he replied as she pulled wordlessly his left arm over her shoulders and helped him up. The fire still crackled on the other side of the ice and the walls were already beginning to melt.

"Goodness, for a kid, you're tall!" she said light-heartedly, despite the situation. He was only a few inches shorter than she was, even though the age difference between them was large.

After a slow progression out of the barn and another admonishing call from the swordswoman, they stepped out of the doomed building and into the fresh air. The heat of the fire subsided and despite the woman's support, his eyes closed and he dropped to his knees, consciousness gone.

* * *

Final Hikari: The original draft of this was very old, and very bad. XD But since Valkyrie Profile needs love, especially some of the most interesting einherjar like Seluvia, Chrystie, Phyress, and Celes, I decided to re-write it as a oneshot. And to clear up any confusion, here's a lesson in Midgard history. XD

Celes: Rand was destroyed during the One Year War.

Phyress: Before the height of the battle, I saved Seluvia, and raised him as a son in Paltierre.

Celes: Then, because his worried conflict would break out between the legitimate years, he fled the kingdom before the start of the Mists of Nifelheim.

Phyress: Then a few years later, my daughter ran off with him, never to be seen or heard from again. -.-

Final Hikari: You left out the 'to save the continent from the undead' part. XD

Celes: -pats her shoulder- It happens with kids these days.

Phyress: They could have at least stayed in the country!

Final Hikari: XD I don't own anything from Valkyrie Profile, all these wonderful but underappreciated einherjar belong to Tri-Ace and Square Enix.


End file.
